Allyson Haug and Douglas Nelson run more than just a consultant firm for non-profits, they’re also at the helm of a family who love and support the performing arts. 

And like so many people who deepened their commitment to community in light of the pandemic, watching the 2020 East Van Panto really hit home.

“We were sitting on the couch, live streaming last year’s Panto, going ‘We really miss being there!” says Allyson. “And as we were watching sponsorship logos up on the screen, Doug and I just went, ‘We need to be part of this. As a family, we’re East Van Panto regulars and we see the same people each year at the show. There really is a true Panto community, and that community is our community, so it really came down to: how do we help our Panto community?” 

The result? Ensuring the East Van Panto community could stay connected to the show, through a Digital Presentation Sponsorship. 

“Hybrid shows break this either/or binary in performance because they welcome all audiences. It’s a “Yes, And!” attitude that ensures no one misses out. After watching some of our family’s health needs change this year, and how that limited their access, sponsoring digital access was an automatic Yes for us, to ensure we can help other folks who might not be able to come to the theatre right now stay connected to their community.”

“It’s been really clear this year for us and for so many of the people we work with that we truly need each other. As consultants, we work hard to enable and empower our clients we partner with, and we truly partner with them. The work that we do is more than delivering a report; we work collaboratively to enable organizations to do their best work. It’s active and connected. And as arts supporters who regularly go to shows, we see firsthand how arts organizations are great examples of the intuitive coming together to make something special happen. That kind of natural collaboration is a part of this beautiful arts community and is also what we strive to do.”  

Learn more about The Discovery Group.